Q 01/05

What is a young swan called?

A) A gosling

B) A duckling

C) A cygnet

D) A pullet

Answer · why

C) A cygnet

From the Latin via Old French; an adult male is a cob and an adult female a pen.

Q 02/05

What is an adult male swan called?

A) A drake

B) A cob

C) A gander

D) A tom

Answer · why

B) A cob

The word comes from Middle English 'cobbe', leader of a group; the female is a pen.

Q 03/05

What is a group of swans called?

A) A gaggle or a skein

B) A murder or a rook

C) A bevy or a wedge

D) A parliament

Answer · why

C) A bevy or a wedge

'Wedge' usually describes swans in V-formation flight; 'bevy' is the general term.

Q 04/05

How many living species of true swan are there?

A) Six

B) Three

C) Twelve

D) Twenty

Answer · why

A) Six

The South American coscoroba swan carries the name but is no longer counted as a true swan.

Q 05/05

Swans belong to which family, alongside ducks and geese?

A) Rallidae

B) Anatidae

C) Gruidae

D) Ardeidae

Answer · why

B) Anatidae

Swans and geese together form the subfamily Anserinae; the swan genus is Cygnus.

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